Surgeons frequently close incisions or wounds, or otherwise join tissue portions, with a suture. After passing the suture through the tissue portions, the surgeon must tie the suture to draw the tissue portions together and prevent them from separating. When sutures are tied in a region having restricted access (such as an endoscopic work site within a patient's body), the surgeon is presented with special challenges. Typically, the knot is formed outside the patient and then is pushed towards those tissue portions to be joined together.
Once a knot has been positioned against tissue portions so that they are securely fastened together, the surgeon must cut back the ends of the suture. This procedure can be difficult when using conventional instruments such as surgical scissors, particularly where access is limited such as in endoscopic procedures where access of instruments is normally provided through one or more portals formed directly in the patient's body or through one or more cannulas inserted into the patient's body through small incisions.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved and reliable suture cutter, whereby a surgeon can rapidly and accurately cut a suture strand and trim back the strands from a knot. A need also exists for an improved surgical cutting instrument that allows controlled manipulation of suture or other flexible strands that are employed during or in conjunction with endoscopic surgeries. A surgical suture cutter that is not only able to cut the suture, but also able to hold the suture, and be locked into that position, during insertion of the instrument through the cannula, would be desirable.